（全新版）大学英语《综合教程》第一册（全新版）大学英语《综合教程》第一册 Unit 4Unit 4

American DreamAmerican Dream

大学英语 ( 全新版 ) 综合教程

Unit Four Tony Trivisonno’s American Dream

I. Cultural Notes1. American Dream: the belief of Americans that their country offers opportu

nities for a good and successful life. For minorities and immigrants, the dream also includes freedom and equal rights.

2. Immigrants: Apart from "Native Americans" — Indians — who were living in North America when people first arrived there from Europe, all Americans have ancestors who were immigrants. In the US the word immigrant is often used with a positive meaning. People are proud to say that their ancestors were immigrants who came with very little and built a better life for themselves.

Most Americans have a clear idea of what life was like for the immigrants: they left home because they were poor and thought they would have better opportunities in the US. For them the American dream was that talent and hard work could take them from log cabin to White House.

Once in the US, life was not easy. Many immigrants had to work for little money in factories where conditions were hard and dangerous and lived in crowded buildings. But slowly they improved their lives and many wrote home to encourage others to come.

3. Depression days: the period of severe economic failure in most countries of the world that lasted from 1929 until World War II. It began in the US when the New York Stock Exchange fell on 29 October 1929, known as Black Tuesday. Many businesses and banks failed and millions of people lost their jobs. President Franklin D. Roosevelt improved the situation with his New Deal policy. but the Great Depression was only ended by industrial production for the war.

• II. Language Study• 1. ... hard to comprehend his broken English:

• If someone talks in broken English, they speak slowly and make a lot of mistakes because they only know a little of the language.

• 2. turn away: refuse to help (sb.) or to allow (sb.) to enter a place

• Examples: 1) He’s my son after all ( 毕竟 ), I can't just turn him away when he is in trouble.

• 2) The lecture hall was already full and many of the students were turned away.

• 3. work out: plan; solve; calculate

• Examples: 1) "How will you keep in touch with me?" "We haven't worked that out yet.”

• 2) Finally I worked out that the parcel had been sent to Paris by mistake.

• 3) My mother allowed me to take the trip, but asked me to work out the total cost first.

• 4. weekly: happening once a week or every week

• Examples: His story was published in a weekly newspaper 21st Century English.

• 5. clean up: make clean and tidy

• Examples: 1) I'll go shopping with you as soon as I've cleaned up the kitchen.

• 2) I hate cleaning up after a party.

• 6. helpful: useful in making a situation better or easier; always willing to help people

• Examples: 1) Sometimes it is helpful to make a list of everything you have to do.

• 2) Any information would be helpful in determining what happened to her.

• 3) She is such a pleasant and helpful child.

• 7. do with: (used in questions with what) deal with

• Examples: 1) What do you do with such rude boys?

• 2) What are we going to do with the huge rock lying in the middle of the road?

• 8. determination: the ability to continue trying to achieve what you have decided to do even when this is difficult (uncountable noun, often followed by infinitive to)

• Examples: 1) He showed great determination by continuing to play after hurting his foot.

• 2) Her determination to do well made her keep on studying.

• 9. personnel: 1) the department in a large company or organization that deals with employees, keeps their records, and helps with any problem they might have; human resources (uncountable noun, used with a singular or plural verb)

• Examples: a) Personnel has/have received your application form.

• b) Her first job after graduation was in Personnel at Microsoft.

• 2) all the persons working in an organization, in the army, etc. (used with a plural verb)

• Examples: a) All personnel in this company are entitled to medical insurance.

• b) A modem army needs highly skilled personnel.

• 10. capacity: the ability to understand or do sth. (often followed by for or infinitive to)

• Examples: 1) Not everyone has a capacity for languages.

• 2) Those math problems were beyond my capacity.

• 3) I don't think it's within a five-year-old boy's capacity to spread computer viruses.

• 11. turn down: refuse

• Examples: 1) He was offered the job but he turned it down because it involved too much traveling.

• 2) Look, I am offering you a free meal — you are surely not going to turn me down?

• 12. Tony took a cut in pay to become an apprentice.: Tony had his pay reduced in order to be an apprentice.

• 13. skilled: having skill; needing skill (often followed by in or at)

• Examples: 1) The IT (information technology) industry demands skilled labor.

• 2) The personnel manager is pressing for skilled workers. She was skilled in dealing with all sorts of people.

• 14. My wife and I were delighted with what we felt was a satisfying end of the story.: My wife and I were delighted with what Tony had achieved, and thought that the whole thing had thus been settled.

• 15. for sale: available to be bought

• Examples: 1) Reluctantly my parents put a "For Sale" sign on the house.

• 2) Her former home is for sale at $495,000.

• 16. wreck: sth. such as a ship, car, plane, or building which has been destroyed, usu. in an accident

• Examples: The wreck of the plane could be clearly seen on the hillside.

• 17. call on: visit sb. for a short time

• Examples: I'd like to call on my former professor while I am on business in Beijing.

• 18. loan: lend (sth.)

• Examples: He had kindly offered to loan me all the books required for the examination..

• n. 1) a sum of money that you borrow • Examples: a) The president wants to make it easier for small businesses to

get bank loans.• b) I am trying to get a loan from the bank to buy a house. • 2) the act of lending (used in singular, followed by of)• Examples: I asked him for a loan of his car to have a short trip with my fa

mily.

• 19. character: the particular collection of qualities that make sb. a particular kind of person

• Examples: 1) The chief flaw in her character was impatience.

• 2) How can he beat his wife? I've never seen that cruel side of his character.

• 20. down payment: an initial amount given as partial payment at the time of purchase

• (If you make a down payment on sth., you pay only a percentage of the total cost when you buy it. You pay the remaining amount later.)

• 21. discard: (formal) throw away

• Examples: I'm going to discard those magazines if you've finished reading them.

• 22. confidence: the quality of being certain of your abilities or of trusting other people, plans, or the future (followed by in or infinitive to)

• Examples: 1) He would be a better speaker if he had more confidence.

• 2) I have every confidence in you. You can make a great success.

• 23. amaze: surprise (sb.) very much

• Examples: 1) Dave amazed his friends by suddenly getting married.

• 2) It amazed me that you would believe those lies.

• 3) It amazed me to discover how long the dinosaur age lasted.

• amazed / amazing adj.

• 24. diet: food and drink usu. taken by a person or group

• Examples: 1) Poor diet and too much smoking will seriously damage the health of your hair.

• 2) Nowadays many people prefer a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables.

• 25. send for: ask for the arrival of

• Examples: 1) Don't worry about your son, I have sent for the doctor.

• 2) He sent for his parents to attend the graduation ceremony at Harvard.

• 26. hunt: 1) search thoroughly (followed by / for)• Examples: a) They were hunting the area for a new house.• b) Many college students start hunting for a job in the fourth

year. • c) We have been hunting all over town for a new house. • 2) chase and kill wild animals for food or as a sport • Examples: a) They had gone up the hill to hunt deer. • b) At one time man had to hunt to survive.• 27. abandon: give up completely or forever• Examples: 1) My car broke down and I had to abandon it on the

main road.• 2) The young couple abandoned their daughter hoping that they

would give birth to a boy.• 3) As the plane was badly damaged, the pilot had to abandon it.

• 28. property: 1) land, buildings or both together

• Examples: With more and more people purchasing houses, property prices have been on the rise .

• 2) the thing or things that sb. owns

• Examples: a) Policemen searched the criminal's home and found weapons and stolen property in the basement.

• b) That's my personal property! Leave it alone!

• 29. sometime: at a time in the past or future that is unknown or has not yet been fixed

• Examples: 1) He saw her at the airport sometime last week.

• 2) Can I come and see you sometime?

• (Don't confuse sometime with sometimes which means "on certain occasions, rather than all the time".)

• 30. sponsor: support (a person, organization or activity) by giving money, encouragement or other help

• Examples: 1) The old couple sponsored the young man who wanted to study in the United States for a year.

• 2) The soccer team is sponsored by Coco-Cola, so the players wear the letters Coco-Cola on their shirts.

• 31. amuse: cause to laugh or smile; cause to spend time in a pleasant manner

• Examples: 1) The computer games amused the children for hours.

• 2) The kids amused themselves playing hide-and-seek.

• 3) He thought of various activities that might amuse the children till bedtime.

• amused /amusing

• 32. approach: come near(er) to

• Examples: As they approached the wood, a rabbit ran out of the trees.

• 33. pass away: die (You can say that sb. passed away if you want to avoid using the word die because you think it too blunt.)

• Examples: 1) The old lady passed away peacefully in her sleep.

• 2) The teenager has lived on his own since his parents passed away four years ago.

• 34. handle: manage, control

• Examples: 1) She couldn't handle the pressures of her new job. She had to quit it.

• 2) The students handle the conversation in the Chinese way even though they speak English.

• 35. He grew in stature in my mind: He grew taller and greater in my mind.

• 36. above all: most important of all• Examples: 1) John is fair, hardworking, and above all, honest.• 2) I won't go with you, because it's too far, too late, and above all, too d

angerous.• 37. Tony did not begin on the bottom rung of the ladder. He began in t

he basement.: Tony had nothing when he arrived in the United States and he built up from nothing.

• 38. But, after all, the balance sheets were exactly the same.: But after all, what Tony and the greatest industrialists achieved was exactly the same.

• 39. create: produce or make (esp. sth. new) • Examples: 1) Hawking created a new theory of the universe.

• 2) The Bible says that God created the world.

• 24. brief: 1) using few words; concise

• Examples: a) The teacher of English told the students to write a brief description of a typical problem they had recently met with.

• b) Patrick gave a brief summary of the last night's events.

• 2) lasting or taking a short time

• Examples: a) This time their visit to Beijing is brief.

• b) My brother once made a brief appearance on television.

• 25. accurate: exact

• Examples: 1) On the whole the program provided an accurate picture of the effect of AIDS.

• 2) You were pretty accurate in your calculations.

• 26. Maybe I would have sold twice as many copies without it.: If my popular book had not included Einstein's equation, maybe I would have sold twice as many copies.

• 27. tend: be likely to happen or have a particular characteristic or effect

• Examples: 1) Some people tend to get up later at weekends.

• 2) The school bus tends to be early on Monday mornings.

• 28. in the form of: 1) having the shape of

• Examples: a) The lane was in the form of a big "S".

• b) The trees were laid out in the form of the figure eight.

• 2) existing in a particular form

• Examples: They received a benefit in the form of a tax reduction.

• 29. precise: exact

• Examples: We will never know the precise details of his death.

• 30. grasp: understanding

• Examples: 1) Applied mathematics was beyond the grasp of most of her students.

• 2) She has a good grasp of the English language.

• 31. sufficient: as much as is needed, enough (often followed by for or to +infinitive)

• Examples: 1) -- "Can you lend me some money for the journey?"

• -- "Yes, will $100 be sufficient?”

• 2) There was not sufficient evidence to prove that he was guilty.

• 3) His income is sufficient to keep him comfortable.

• 4) There is sufficient food for everyone.

• 32. convey: make (ideas, feelings, etc.) known to another

• Examples: 1) Their bright eyes and smiling faces conveyed the impression that they were very excited.

• 2) Words cannot convey how delighted I am that you'll come and spend the weekend with us.

• 33. put across: cause to be understood

• Examples: 1) Good teachers are the ones who are able to put things across well.

• 2) I'm not putting my meaning across very well.

• 我未把我的意思解释清楚。

• 34. proportion: 1) a part of a group or an amount (usu. singular)

• Example: A large proportion of the city's population is aged over 50.

• 2) the relationship between the amounts, numbers, or sizes of different things that go together to form a whole (usu. singular)

• Examples: a) The proportion of men to women in the medical profession has changed in recent years.

• b) A large proportion of the dolphins in that area will eventually die because of the water pollution.

• 35. Only television can reach a truly mass audience.: Unlike popular books and magazine articles, television science programs have a really large audience.

• 36. fit into: be part of a situation, system, or plan

• Examples: The new college courses fit into a national education plan.

• 37. educate: teach or train

• Examples: 1) How can our children be educated if schools are not properly funded?

• 2) The organization launched a campaign to educate teenagers about the dangers of smoking.

• well-educated

• 39. ... hence the sick joke that... : ... therefore the sick joke spreads that …

• sick joke: sick jokes deal with death and suffering in a cruel and unpleasant way

• hence: 1) as a result, therefore (a formal use, followed by a clause/noun group/a./ad./prepositional phrase)

• Examples: a) He's an extremely private person; hence his reluctance to give interviews. b) The Democratic Party was divided and hence very weak. C) The trade imbalance is likely to rise again in the 2000s. Hence a new set of policy actions will be required soon.

• 2) from this time • Examples: a) I don't know where I will be six months hence.

• b) The annual conference of APEC will be held in Shanghai seven months

hence.

• 40. contact: get in touch with

• Examples: 1) Feel free to contact me if you need my help.

• 2) I will contact the Tourist Information Bureau for further details.

• Translation• After graduating from college, Tony decided to start

his own business. At the beginning, many a bank turned down his request for a loan. But he was not discouraged, and continued to call on one banker after another seeking help. Impressed by his determination and optimism, one banker finally agreed to loan him the money. Now he has become a wealthy businessman. Talking about his amazing achievement, Tony puts great emphasis on the importance of creating, rather than waiting for opportunities.